BEFORE THE RISE OF COMMUNISM IN CHINA THERE WAS A CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO HAD ENOUGH EDUCATION AND MONEY TO COLLECT ANTIQUES. SOME VERY GOOD QUALITY BRONZE WORK WAS DONE DURING THIS TIME AS THERE WAS A MARKET. THE REPLICAS HAD TO BE VERY GOOD TO FOOL OR INTREST A COLLECTOR , IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TELL THE FAKE FROM THE REAL EXCEPT THEY MADE TOO MANY OF THE MORE POPULAR ITEMS WHICH GAVE IT AWAY. WHEN COMMUNISM TOOK OVER THESE COLLECTORS WERE EITHER DEAD, FLED TO OTHER COUNTRYS OR LOST EVERYTHING THEY HAD AND WERE SENT OFF TO BE RE-EDUCATED TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT. CHINA MORE OR LESS ISOLATED ITSELF AND THESE ITEMS JUST SET IN SHOPS THRUOUT THE COUNTRY WITH NO ONE TO BUY. WHEN cHINA STARTED TO MAKE A MOVE TO MODERNIZE AND COMPETE FOR WORLD POWER TRADE STARTED AND A LOT OF THESE ITEMS HIT THE MARKET THOUGH THEY ARE NOT ORIGINALS THE REPLICAS COULD BE OVER 100 YEARS OLD.
I HAVE NOTED THAT THE BRONZE INDUSTRY HAS STARTED UP AGAIN BUT OFTEN THE QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP IS NOT AS GOOD AS THE OLDER ITEMS AND THERE ARE EVEN FANTASY BRONZE AGE SWORDS. SO THERE IS A MIX OF ITEMS OF VARYING AGE AND WORKMANSHIP ON THE MARKET AT PRESENT.
|